


do over

by wordswithdragons



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Technically ttm canon complaint but not really ~parkour~, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, nothing but toothrotting fluff to be found, rayla + others plan a cute first date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:40:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29458377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordswithdragons/pseuds/wordswithdragons
Summary: Rayla realizes that Callum hasn't had a great first date experience, and is determined to give him one.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 85





	do over

**Author's Note:**

> aka figured it was time i finally toss my hat into the "rayllum has their first real date" fic ring for Rayllum Valentine's Week, Prompt 2: First Date. enjoy the fluff ahead my friends!

Rayla thinks, all things considered, she can be forgiven for not keeping track of _everything_.

There's been a lot happening over the past three months. Delivering dragon eggs, winning wars, falling in love, and travelling back to a new home for just about everyone involved. A peaceful Katolis, Rayla knows, and the one under Ezran's rule is not quite the Katolis Callum remembers. And not just because his father is gone and Claudia's bedroom collects dust, and Soren no longer knocks him into the dirt. There's a lot of things to consider. Solidifying alliances with Duren and Lux Aurea to keep a strong hold on the border, in long meetings Callum wouldn't have attended before. He does so now out of choice as the new crown prince, but mostly as his brother's closest advisor and subsequently to support him. Running a kingdom was already a full time job, even if you weren't trying to broker in a new and unprecedented time of peace on top of it all.

It's for this reason, perhaps, that while the boys find themselves busier than ever—Soren replacing crownguard who followed Viren, helping Amaya strengthen Katolis' flailing military; Ezran in his numerous meetings with Corvus and Opeli; Callum, with all his usual princely classes in addition to studying magic and helping his brother—that Rayla finds herself with more free time than ever. For the first time in years—or even months, her vigour at an all time high when she'd learned her parents had 'run away'—she's not training tirelessly every day to be an assassin. Instead, Rayla is getting acquainted with the realities of courtly life.

There's not many. She's still allowed to wear whatever she wants (fat chance of anything else happening) nor does etiquette at meal times matter. The boys hardly care and she only dines with them, Ezran at the head of the table with her and Callum on his right. Soren makes rowdy jokes and chews with his mouth full. Corvus occasionally join and sometimes Opeli will press her lips together in a disapproving manner at any of her young charges' behaviour, but she comments even less. Rayla does have to respond to Her Ladyship, though; she thinks the guards like even less than she does, which is saying something. Callum put up a stint to have them in the same room and Opeli relents, Rayla thinks, only because she had a week to watch them interact beforehand on the journey back to Katolis from the Storm Spire and saw them curl up by the fire together every night.

Then, of course, in the time of peace and safety, all of the memories come rushing back. Feelings, now having time to process. Prolonged grief and guilt for Runaan; mourning her parents rather than being just happy they weren't cowards. So much repressed fear and shame and desperation. For both her and Callum and Ezran. She helps Callum go back up the tower steps without shaking. They both wake up with nightmares sometimes, or stay with Ez and have him curled up in between them on the rare nights when Soren isn't on watch duty to sit with him in the hallways.

But with the memories also comes healing. Letting go, as much as they can, and holding onto each other, as tightly as possible. It feels like there are mountains behind them, and Rayla tries to remind herself that the future is bright.

Claudia, however, is the dark cloud that lingers over the castle. The boys all miss her—or at least Soren and Ez do. The dungeons get cleaned out of Dark Magic and its ingredients. Claudia's room remains locked and dusty once Soren finishes packing up the boxes of her things. But there are memories of her in every hall, in every courtyard.

She and Callum spent a childhood together, alongside their brothers. Nothing can ever erase that.

The castle has more ghosts than that though, too, Rayla knows. Harrow's whispers and warm smiles haunt the hallways. Sarai's slender form out in the sparring courtyard and in the kitchens baking jelly tarts, as Callum shows Rayla the only official family portrait they have, from when he was little and Ez was a baby. Another family, like her own, torn apart by the cycle they had managed to end by the edge of their teeth. Even Viren, although Rayla isn't entirely convinced he's dead, smiling beside the man he'd betrayed, the memory entombed in paint.

So it takes another six weeks of _settling in_ at Katolis for her and Callum to talk over some of the minute details that got lost along the way.

They're in the library and Callum has his head in her lap as he reads. Rayla runs her fingers through his hair, listening idly as he reads out spells from the book Ibis gave him, and occasionally correcting his pronunciation of Ancient Draconic (although there are plenty of spells that aren't familiar to her at all).

"There was a big wall of runes at the Moon Nexus," Callum remembers with the air of excitement he always carries with him when it comes to magic. It's cute. _He's_ cute. "I guess you'd be able to read those no problem?"

"Most elves use the same writing script," she considers. "But each sect has its own particular deviations—why I didn't realize the warning at the Sky Nexus was also spell instructions, honestly. A minor mistranslation. I'd be able to read moon runes no problem though. Why do you ask?

"There are walls inscribed with tons of runes at the Moon Nexus," he explains, spreading his arms out to indicate the width of the walls. "But I know they weren't ancient draconic at all—Claudia was with me and she'd studied some elvish, and she couldn't make sense of them either." The curiosity in his eyes is displaced the further he talks and Rayla brushes his hair away from his brow.

"The Nexuses were established eons ago," she says. "Languages do change over time—that would be Old Elvish, likely a Moonshadow variant too. It's not surprising neither of you were familiar with any of it. I wouldn't be able to read the majority of it either." She purses her lips. She knows the Nexus is safe and their stay there feels like a distant memory, but something nags at her anyway. "You guys explored a lot of places, didn't you?"

"Sort of?" Callum says. She can tell he's unsure about why she's pressing for more details about _Claudia,_ of all people. Neither of them are _fond_ of the dark mage. "Mostly the main paths, inside the Temple and the Stone Henge. We went to the lake too, for our, uh—" He winces. "Date."

Rayla leans over then, and presses a kiss to his forehead. There's no jealousy—why would there be, _how_ could there be?—but she knows Claudia was a source of real heartache for him all the same. To use his feelings for her all day long... And while Rayla is glad in retrospect that Claudia told him the truth about Harrow, him leaving what should have been a happy day and night, sobbing and on his own—it definitely could've been handled _better_.

Callum closes his eyes briefly and the corners of his mouth twitch up into a weak smile once Rayla pulls back. "Some first date, huh?" he jokes in an attempt at humour.

It makes her stomach drop, even if he seems content to turn back to his reading partially as a distraction, and Rayla leaves him be, her mind racing.

Callum's _first date_ was with a girl who _used_ him and broke his heart, throwing his safety and feelings into question, and lying to him over and over again.

That just won't do. And Rayla is going to fix it.

They're a relationship built on second chances and leaps of faith, after all. What's one more?

* * *

Rayla soon realizes she's utterly unprepared when it comes to planning a date in a human kingdom, however. If this was Xadia or the Silvergrove, she'd take him to the Adoraburr meadow or buy Moonberry Surprise as well, a surprise. She could take him nearby to the Racing Rapids, a river with rainbow water, her phobia be damned, or to the Trees of Whickermore so they could etch their initials into it with a heart and have nature preserve it forever.

In the Pentarchy, in Katolis, she's never even been into _town_. Well, that's not true. She went into town for Ezran's proper coronation procession and the boys took her to the bakery one day the long way around. But when it comes to knowing what Katolis has to offer as far as a date goes, she's clueless. And it has to be good. Callum deserves something _good_.

She weighs her options then, sitting in the branches of a courtyard tree one afternoon. Her and Callum have already gone stargazing on the roof, but that hadn't required any planning. They'd sort of stumbled upon it. Callum deserves something special, too. She rests her chin on the knee she has drawn up to her chest.

There's also not many people to ask. Opeli is a cleric and took religious vows and while Rayla likes the older woman well enough—she's agreeable and kind—she knows it would be pointless if not flat out embarrassing to ask about something like this. Rayla _is_ dating her prince. No, Opeli is definitely out. Corvus pops into her head next. He's more good natured and dotes gently on Ezran, older, well traveled. He's probably been on dates, if the number of letters he and Commander Gren exchange are any indication. But he was in the army for a long time and travelling as Amaya's tracker, maybe too much. Plus, Corvus can't keep a secret, and if he knows Ezran will know, and if Ez knows, Callum might find out. Rayla doesn't even consider the baker, since she regularly forgets his name. The guards would probably be more worried about her trying to kidnap the prince again then give actual good date recommendations.

It hits her with a groan when she realizes what her last resort is, but at least she knows where to find him.

Soren is in the middle of doing squats when she reaches him on the battlements.

"Can you pause the workout for a minute?" she requests, walking silently until she wants to be known.

Soren still jumps and whirls around before relaxing at the sight of her. "Oh, uh, yeah! Sure!" He brightens. "What's up, Rayla?"

She'll never quite understand humans and their phrases. "I wanted to ask you something." She fixes her expression into something stern. "It's sort of personal, so you can't laugh, okay?"

He stops in the middle of a stretch and makes an X over his heart with a swipe of his fingers. "Crownguard's honour."

Rayla swallows. "I want to take Callum on a date," she says, "but I have no clue how to do that in Katolis. I thought you might have an idea, and—why are you smiling at me like that?"

The curve of Soren's grin is soft. "Nothing, it's just kinda cute." Rayla scowls and rolls her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest. "So, did you have anything in mind?" he prods, a bit more gently.

"Well, I'd like to get us out of the castle. But I don't know any of the places or restaurants in the town."

"There's some really good pubs and bars," Soren considers off the top of his head. "But you're too young for those and even if you weren't, Opeli would have my head if I recommended them. There's some pasta places and some really nice restaurants too, but... I dunno. Is that really your and Callum's style? It could be really nice to go into town, but—" He lowers his voice. "You would have to put up with some staring."

Rayla sighs. People would stare for any number of reasons—because they recognized their prince, had never seen an elf before, didn't like seeing an elf and a human together, or liked seeing their prince with an elf even less—but there was certainty that they would stare. If Callum wasn't a prince, Rayla knows they wouldn't have the certainty of not being turned away at the door of some sort of establishment because she's an elf. Nor does Rayla exactly have human money to pay for the whole thing either and she doesn't want Callum to have to pay on the date she'd planned.

What _is_ their style then?

Well, they like their privacy. Handholding and a few quick kisses in public isn't strange, but she realizes Soren is right. They won't want to put up with staring (or worse) on their date. Even worrying about something that might not happen isn't appealing. And she knows they both feel a _little_ cooped up in the castle, since they don't really go into town. The castle is large and fascinating and Callum had spent the first week showing her the secret passages Ez had discovered and the boys' favourite nooks and crannies and hiding spots, but that can only last so long. A date within the castle walls is out then too, already she already knew that.

Going out into nature might be nice. It won't compare to Xadia, but... A picnic could work. As for the location, she knows exactly where. The only thing left is _when_.

"Soren," she says, her head snapping up. "Do you know where Opeli is?"

* * *

The cleric is a busy woman, managing her and everyone else's schedules in the castle. Rayla suspects she had less to do when King Harrow was on the throne, but Opeli does her work without complaint. She drafts letters for Ezran and corrects his grammar; she speaks in quiet tones to Soren about crownguard wages; she leaves notes to the kitchen staff when one of the princes is having a bad day to cook their favourites. She let Callum and Rayla share a room in the castle when Callum put up a fuss for it (although Opeli maintained the room having two separate beds). She scolds the boy king and young prince when they're late to lessons and still insists on calling Rayla her ladyship.

Rayla has also let the boys do most of the talking for her when it came to Opeli. She doesn't think they'd ever had a one-on-one conversation.

But there's a first time for everything, so Rayla steels herself and then knocks on the cleric's office door. "Come in," Opeli's voice calls softly.

When Rayla enters, the other woman is sitting behind a mahogany desk with two windows framing her chair, the sky black behind her. There's a bit of guilt in disturbing her so late—Rayla's lie of just going to the bathroom at the end of her and Callum's hall won't hold for too long, and he'll wonder where she is soon enough—but Rayla doesn't want to let too much time drag on week wise. She'd talked with Soren on the battlements this afternoon. Getting the go ahead she needs in terms of Callum's schedule is the only way for her plan to work.

"Lady Rayla." Opeli sets down her quil away from the parchment she was tending to, her expression blank. "This is a surprise. Is everything alright?"

Rayla swallows. "Yes, everything's fine," she answers quickly. "I just wanted to, er, speak with you."

Opeli gestures to the unfilled chair across the desk. "By all means."

Hoping she doesn't look as awkward as she feels, Rayla takes a seat. "I have a bit of a favour to ask, I suppose? I'm..." Best to just get it out there. Her cheeks redden and she stares at the edge of her desk. "I'm trying to plan a surprise for Callum. I want to take him out on a picnic. But I need good weather to do so, and we won't know which day will be nice enough for it until the morning of, most likely, and the odds it'd be on his off day is low, and I know he has lessons, but..." Rayla lifts her gaze and finds Opeli wearing soft smile. She's being ridiculous, isn't she? Rayla clears her throat. "So I'm asking for permission for him to get out of whatever he has planned for whichever day happens to have good weather next."

Opeli is silent for what must be just a few seconds but it _feels_ like ages, with that same, simple, small smile on her face. "May I speak freely, Lady Rayla?"

She doesn't sound disapproving—the opposite of it, really—so Rayla lifts her head further and nods. "Go ahead."

"When you first came back to the castle, I had my reservations."

Rayla remembers (and appreciates the clarification that it wasn't the _very_ first time she'd come to the castle, because that—well). Opeli had never said a word against her and she knew the cleric had supported Ezran's defense of peace and Xadia even once the cost had grown higher and higher. But Opeli still knew nothing about elves and even less first hand about Rayla's friendship with Ezran in anything other than words, and nearly her entire relationship with Callum. It is not every day your crown prince returns in love with and 'officially courting' an elf from the troupe that had assassinated your previous king. Rayla had felt Opeli's gaze on her during the journey back to Katolis, huddled around lit logs with Callum and camping amid soldiers, and even in the castle itself when Callum had insisted on them sharing a room.

Not disapproving or even wary, but... evaluating, perhaps? Rayla knows Claudia was likely under the same scrutiny even if the other girl never knew it, and that was with Callum just having a crush, not dating and devoting himself to another person the way he's devoted himself to her over the past three months since the Midnight Desert.

"Understandably so," Rayla says.

Opeli's smile grows a little. "I was curious to see who had changed the young, sometimes out-of-step prince I knew with a much more confident young man, and who had won his heart so wholly and completely. Even more so given the wild circumstances your meeting began in. I had long since suspected he would end up with Lord Viren's daughter simply due to how easy the marriage would be to arrange and yet that first day back at the castle, he held your hand so deftly and glared at anyone who gave you a funny look. He did not seem to care at all for easy, even if his love for you was bright and undeniable and flowed _with_ ease from him."

Rayla's mood rapidly changes from flustered, if not mildly embarrassed, to confused, if also finding her heart in a tricky spot of wanting to melt. Maybe a bit of unease, too. She _knows_ Callum loves her. It's not surprising at all that seemingly everyone knows. And although the point of this date isn't to prove to him that she loves him (he _knows_ that)—it's to make him happy—or to anyone else (their opinions don't particularly matter) she isn't sure what Opeli's point is going to be. That Rayla _doesn't_ love him clearly enough, somehow?

She opens her mouth although Rayla isn't sure what, but she shuts it when Opeli speaks again.

"And I have also seen the softness, pride, and protectiveness you behold him with. Your inquiry is greatly appreciated and I'll provide a slip that can be passed to his tutors or fellow diplomats for the day, for whatever he needs to miss for your plan—within reason." There's a delegate from Neolandia arriving for this Wednesday, Rayla recalls, and no, Callum can't miss that. Ezran will need every helping hand he can get when King Ahling is still so bereft at the death of his firstborn.

"I understand," Rayla replies. Her lungs loosen. The permission slip will be perfect and the word of mouth from the farmers is that Wednesday will bring rain, anyway. Callum only has to be there to greet the delegate and be at some of the proceeding meetings. The rest of the week surrounding the day is fair game. "Thank you, Priestess."

Rayla is at the door when Opeli says, "Lady Rayla?" She turns. The cleric has picked up her quill again, but her eyes are directed at Rayla's face. She's smiling again too. "It warms my heart to know that you are as fond of him as he is of you."

Rayla brightens. Other people's opinions don't matter and maybe under other circumstances this would be a bit embarrassing, but... the recognition doesn't hurt, either. "He's the best person I know," she says softly. "I just... want to give him whatever tiny pieces of the world I can."

Opeli's eyes crinkle. "I know." She waves her free hand, shooing her. "Now go on. I expect he'll be wondering where you've wandered off to. I'll give you the slip tomorrow while he's in his afternoon class."

Rayla favoured the eastern courtyard with the apple trees when he was in his 1pm etiquette class. But she could make an exception for tomorrow and wait outside the library door instead. "I'll be there," she promises.

* * *

The next step is the picnic itself.

Ezran comes with her to the bakery. They go when Opeli's let him off early Tuesday afternoons and Callum is busy trying out new spells in the courtyard. Rayla will usually sit and watch, teasing him from the sidelines, but spending time just with Ez is important to her too, and that's the excuse she'd given and a kiss to the cheek. "I promise I'll bring you back a jelly tart," she'd said.

In reality, Ez's bi-weekly trip to the bakery is the perfect cover and Rayla's here to learn how to... perhaps not bake, but learn how to make _something_. A picnic needs food and getting the royal kitchen staff to make it would defeat the purpose of making this first date special. Effort was everything. Callum had taught her that.

The baker, a kind eyed pudgy man, isn't by the oven when they walk in. "Barius!" Ezran calls, a hand cupped to his mouth and Bait on his shoulder. _That's_ his name. Rayla won't forget this time. "Hello?"

"Ah, King Ezran," Barius greets, wiping his hands with a towel as he enters from another room—where non baked good food prep happened, perhaps, on the rare occasion it called for it—and smiling broadly. "And Lady Rayla, it's lovely to see you both. I have a batch of jelly tarts that will be ready in a moment."

"Thank you," Ez says. "But we're actually not here for tarts." Bait grunts on his shoulder. "Or, not mostly," he corrects.

"We're—I'm trying to surprise Callum," Rayla starts, feeling suddenly stupidly nervous. The baker fought at the Final Battle and has never given her an unkind look. Why be bashful about her plans with Callum, even if her boyfriend is the baker's prince? "And we thought this might be more inconspicuous a spot than the main palace kitchens."

"Rayla's taking him out tomorrow for a picnic," Ezran says cheerfully and her spine stiffens.

Barius smiles. "Ah, that's wonderful. My husband did something similar for me when we first started courting."

Rayla relaxes. "I was hoping we could make some of his favourites? I'll be back in the morning to pick up the fresh fruit"—since that was his favourite—"but I thought we could bake an apple pie and maybe some jelly tarts now. Get some materials prepared for ham and cheese sandwiches?"

"Bread isn't as big of a thing for elves," Ezran explains. "They have different fruit too."

Barius kindly points out the pile of apples from there, a bunch of red, circular fruit. Rayla hadn't even known apples could _be_ red—the ones at breakfast thus far had all been green. So there is indeed more than a few mishaps, with having an elf in a human kitchen (hitting eggs too hard to break them because Xadian ones are so much sturdier, for example) but eventually they have what Ezran and Barius assures her is a good apple pie. It looks like the one they'd had in her first week at the castle since Callum had excitedly wanted to show her it, but she'd been more preoccupied with the decor of the royal family banquet hall than what exactly was on her plate, appearances wise.

She hopes her pie is as good as that one had been.

The sandwiches are easier to make even if she doesn't see what all the fuss is about. She'll probably never understand the bread thing, fully, but the ham and cheese and something green called pickles are very enjoyable. Ezran has a particularly good time trying out different combinations of the different contents, sometimes adding different types of sauce. He's helpful, too, in remembering which types are Callum's favourite. She's seen her boyfriend eat many different sandwiches at lunch before, but seeing him eat and paying attention to food that already wasn't familiar to her, let alone remembering and identifying it when not smushed in between bread, is its own challenge.

Finally, though, Rayla has a collection she's proud of. Some plain with jam, others with ham and cheese—orange cheddar or white squares with holes—or something pale called chicken and turkey. ("They don't have wild boars here the same way, do they?" Rayla asks.) Barius takes some tankard pillars of sealed soup and drink and adds them to the sandwich pile, tucking them away in his icebox for safekeeping. There's plates of fresh fruits too, like strawberries, grapes, and apples, since Rayla knows those are Callum's favourites. Ezran insists on them packing a few jelly tarts and different types of cookies in too.

"I'll leave the basket here for when you need it," Barius says, setting down the wicker-woven box. The arched handle brushes their chosen icebox. As long as the picnic happens within the next three days (and it likely will) the food will stay fresh.

"Thank you," Rayla says. Food prep is fun but tiring; it was one thing she was happy to leave behind after the journey to the Dragon Queen. Having food made for her all the time by the palace staff is definitely a bonus. She'd had to make things herself from time to time back at the Silvergrove. To Barius, she says, "I'll be sure to let you know how it goes," and to Ezran, "You can have whatever leftovers there are. We'll save you a jelly tart."

It's not necessary, perhaps. He can have them whenever he wants as king.

But he laughs when she ruffles his hair and she's glad. A jelly tart from her made by both of them should be special.

He's her little brother too, after all.

* * *

The following Friday morning, when the sun shines so brightly that it gives their curtains a hazy glow, Rayla knows that today is the day. Callum is up before her, which isn't unusual—ironically, perhaps, he is the earlier riser between the two, but Rayla chalks that up to her only being able to have a deep sleep once the moon reaches a certain point in the sky—and he smiles when she slips out of bed and pads over to him. He's even cuter when he turns his head away from his drawing for his usual good morning kiss, a soft, brief press of lips that she's happy to give him.

He's in his clothes for the day, already having used the ensuite, and she plays with his scarf before pulling away. The twinkle in her eye must show because he asks, his grin soft and curious, "What's got you in such a good mood?"

She presses another kiss to his mouth. "I just love you," she says. "I'll go change and then we'll go down for breakfast, alright?"

"Alright."

He finishes up the last flourish of his sketch when she re-enters and they walk out of their room, hands joined. Rayla is just about used to being able to hold his hand whenever she wants, but the normalcy of the castle, of a bed and regular meals they don't have to prepare themselves and schedules, and handholding being included in that, is still something she's adapting to. It's common knowledge in the castle that she's the prince's girlfriend—in the kingdom (and some of the others) that the Prince of Katolis is courting an elf. So much of their relationship developed in private, the publicity of it all—the openness, as Callum waves at the guards they pass with his free hand—and how very unMoonshadow it is still throws her sometimes.

Not in a bad way. It's just different, which is _very_ Callum (and therefore has to be good).

"So," Ez says to his brother over a grapefruit at breakfast, a knowing look in his eye when he catches Rayla's, "what's the plan for today?" Bait swallows a peeled fruit called a clementine whole.

"I have a letter to draft to our Minister of Finances," Callum recalls. "He needs more guidelines about Xadian currency and trade-and-barter system. Ambassador Aachen—" From Duren, Rayla _thinks_. "Was hoping to arrange a meeting with you through me, I think? But I'll get to that if I can. I can deal with it tomorrow otherwise."

"He's agreeable overall," Ezran says. "He shouldn't be too much trouble. You don't have a lesson?"

"Professor Elyot wants to do a brief run down of some High Mage history," Callum explains and puffs out his cheeks. "Again. I don't know how she expects to remember all their names, there's like forty from Katolis alone, never mind the Pentarchy." And they were almost always Dark Mages too, Rayla remembers. Callum has ranted about it before to her on one of their evening walks in the castle gardens.

"What about you, Rayla?" Ezran asks.

"Oh, you know me." She grins and shrugs. Callum has no clue. "Probably just explore the castle some more. Maybe see what's blooming in the gardens."

"I _wish_ that was my day," Callum says rather glumly, in a (slightly) rare moment of whininess. Rayla has to bite back another smile.

"Come on," she says, pushing herself up from the table when it's time to go, the clock chiming nine. "I'll walk you to your lesson."

Callum smiles a little when she takes his hand, his smile growing as he laces his fingers through hers. Rayla shoots Ez one last grin over her shoulder before they walk out of the throne room, down the old tapestried hallways she'd chased her boyfriend down what feels like an entire lifetime ago. They reach the library after only a bit of Callum dragging his feet, dilly-dallying by a window showing the gorgeous day outside, and Rayla nearly bursts and tells her secret too soon, but no. Just a little longer and it'll be worth it for the expression on his face.

"Right, well, this is it," Callum says, stopping in front of the library door, clearly expecting her hand to slip out of his.

Rayla gives him a squeeze instead. "I actually need to go in the library for something."

"You do?" he puzzles.

She nods, her lie at the ready. In reality, it's something she did on one of her days that got too boring for even her to bear, but Callum doesn't need to know that. She's been saving it for this for a week. "I'm curious to see if there are any records of Moonshadow flora on this side of the border."

He places a hand over his chest, giving a mock-affronted gasp. "You mean you _didn't_ walk me here just because it's cute and couple-y? You had an ulterior motive the whole time? Oh, this wounds me, Rayla—"

She rolls her eyes and presses her unsuccessfully stifled smile to his cheek. "Just open the door, dummy."

He does, revealing Professor Elyot by a desk, a thin, bespectacled man with an impressively large beard for his stature. "Ah, Prince Callum, and—" He falters, the glasses making his eyes owlish as he looks at their joined hands. "Lady Rayla," he finishes more uncertainly.

"She's not here to join the lesson," Callum assures him, smiling.

"And, as a matter of fact—" Rayla reaches within her vest and produces the sealed papers Opeli gave her, handing them out to the professor. After a second, the older man takes it, opening up the folded documents. Out of the corner of her eye, she enjoys her boyfriend's astonished look. "Neither is Callum."

Professor Elyot reads the papers twice, blinks, and then manages an awkward but genuine smile. "It seems you are exempt from your princely duties for today, Your Highness." He holds the papers out, giving them a little shaky, and Callum takes them after a moment's hesitation. "Signed by the High Cleric herself."

Rayla watches his face as he reads it, already knowing what it says: _Excused from all royal duties... entreated to enjoy an outing... things will be accordingly scheduled for a later date by my own hand..._

Callum looks befuddled and delighted in equal measure when he glances up, looking from the professor to Rayla. "You—"

Rayla takes his hand again, giving it a squeeze; if she doesn't hold him down, he seems so happy he could just float up without her. "My apologies for any inconvenience, professor," she says, every inch of etiquette she's learned paying off. "I hope you have a lovely day."

The professor's smile grows relaxed. "And you as well, Your Ladyship." He nods to a still slightly gaping Callum. "Your Highness."

"C'mon." She tugs, leading him out of the library by the hand, letting out a squeal when he pulls her close, arms around her waist and his forehead pressed to hers. His grin is as radiant as it's ever been.

"I'm really getting to skip the whole day," he says, brimming, and barely able to contain his excitement; everything she'd hoped for, "so we can go on a _date_?" She nods and he talks before she can get a word in. It only endears her further, her heart beating happily in her chest. "You're the most _amazing_ girlfriend _ever_. How did you even _do_ this?"

"Walk with me," Rayla requests, pressing a quick kiss to his lovestruck lips, "and I'll tell you on the way."

Callum is entranced, beaming beside her as they walk down the halls and out of the castle. She starts with her baking escapades, Barius' patience and Ezran's charm, to explain their walk to the bakery. The streets of Katolis are crowded due to the weather and they get a few stares, but Callum is too happy to notice (and Rayla isn't going to fill him in). They pick up the picnic basket and she shoos away his chivalrous attempts to carry it for her, before she doubles back to explain the note from Opeli.

"I _love_ picnics," Callum grins. "My mom and Harrow used to take us on them when Ez was really little. They're so fun."

It's how Rayla knows she's really outdone herself, that old family memories just made him happy instead of dashing his mood with remembrance of what he's lost. Her heart glows.

"Runaan and Ethari would take me for picnics in the adoraburr meadow too," she remembers. It's easier to share happy memories when they're making their own. "But we had to worry about the buggers eating our fruit and moon-elk cheese."

"Yeah, nothing but ants here," he says, swinging his hand between them. They're getting closer to the outskirts of town. "Where are we having our picnic, anyway?" His head swivels around like he'll spot a patch of green in one of the town alleyways and their secret picnic spot.

Rayla can't help but giggle. "That's another surprise. It's a bit of a walk. But I think you'll like it."

"I _know_ I'll like it," he says in that confidently sweet way of his. "I like _you._ I love you. And walking long distances with you kinda takes me back to old times, y'know?"

She shakes her head. Old times. She can't stop smiling. "I love you too, sappy prince. Now, let me lead the way would you? And pick up your feet. We want to be there _before_ midday."

* * *

They're in the forest below the cliffs when Rayla thinks the answer starts to creep up on him. Callum has always had a good memory for people and environments and while the trees look familiar, she wouldn't be surprised if the night they fled from the castle with Ezran and (Egg) Zym is permanently ingrained in his brain even more so. Still, Callum is very goodnatured about it all, teasing and asking for hints, pouting when she refuses to give any, kissing her cheek to try and convince her and blowing a raspberry on her ear when it doesn't.

Rayla shoves him away, giggling, but grabs his hand again before he can go too far. "We're almost there," she promises. The walk is long and the sun is a little hot—she wonders when the summer heat will finally break and boil over into a storm—but Callum never complains.

She watches the comprehension fully dawn, though, when they reach a three-stone rock pile with flat grass surrounding it and a nearby tree. His eyes widen a fraction, one corner of his mouth ticking up, before he looks at her almost for confirmation. She nods. It's _their_ tree, from the first morning they left the castle. From her walking over and teasing him for the first time— _That's your name right, Callum?_ —and their first _real_ conversation. Her drawing of the six primal sources is still tucked away in the notebook he brings with him everywhere. The tree hadn't been the site of their first or even second disagreement (those belong to the castle) but it is where he opened up to her for the first time, and the first time she'd given into the surprisingly strong feelings of fondness she had for him...

"This," Rayla says, her hands a little sweaty over the handle of the basket; she's never tried to be _romantic_ before, "is where we're having our picnic."

Callum can only half kiss her because he's smiling so wide, her own lips curving when she tastes his happiness, the press of his mouth still firm and sweet. "I love it," he enthuses pulling away, looking as excited as he did in the adoraburr meadow. Her heart melts and she holds up the basket.

"Help me unpack, then?"

He lays out the checkered blanket and they get out the sandwiches and bowls of fruit, his eyes glittering as what feels like treasure after treasure of his favourite foods are unearthed. They take out the sealed tins of soup, still warm to the touch, and eat those first so they'll stay warm. Callum takes some of his ham and cheese sandwich and dips it in, and dubious, Rayla tries it too after a moment. She decides she prefers to keep her foods separate, but it was good, as Callum happily stuffs his face. They each have a couple more sandwiches and Rayla lets him have more of the fruit, nibbling on the cookies instead. They talk with their mouths full, far away from the royal dining room, and Callum almost spits out his water when Rayla does a gently scolding Opeli impression. They laugh themselves silly, trying to toss grapes into each other's mouths. Rayla steals one of his cookies and they split the last jelly tart.

"You know, before you," Callum says, "I'd never been to this part of the forest before."

"Your family didn't picnic here?"

"Nah. We went in the fields closer to the castle. I think these woods are used for hunting sometimes. Harrow tried once when we were younger, but Ez cried over the idea of hurting animals, and I couldn't fire a bow well, so we ended up going fishing instead next time we were at the Banther Lodge."

Rayla slowly reaches and places a hand over his. Her thumb brushes his knuckles. Maybe the picnic site had been a little too close to home in more ways than one. "I know the last time we were here wasn't following the happiest times in our lives..."

"No, it's—it's perfect and sweet." He beams at her, his smile so happy it's almost overflowing. He turns his hand to hold hers properly. "No one's ever done so much for me before. This is a perfect first date, in just the right spot. After all, I didn't really have any memories here before you, and now I have two good ones, _with_ you." Callum takes her other hand. "I didn't have a lot of things before you."

"Neither did I," she says softly, matching his smile. "And you better get used to this level of effort, you know, 'cause I wanted to do it. Cause you're special." She must be feeling particularly sappy, because she adds on, "And perfect," and even Callum squints and smiles at her like it can't possibly be true, his eyes crinkling. Rayla snorts and lets the tip of her nose press against his. "Perfect for me, anyway."

That he can happily accept, and her kiss, their lips meeting softly and lingering before they pull away.

They lie back on the blanket and stare up through the leaves, bodies lying strewn in between the dishes. Rayla watches him watch the clouds when the branches end, her gaze soft and smile affectionate. She steals his pointing hand once they've debated over enough shapes and threads her fingers through his. He's being purposefully silly of course—no bunny, cloud or not, would wear a crown with tassels—but it does still amaze her he can see inspiration in the tiniest of things. That the world seems to be as open to him as he is to it.

Not for the first time, Rayla wonders if he can read her mind, as Callum looks over and asks, "What inspired this date, anyway?"

"What do you mean?" she replies, focusing more on the way he strokes his thumb over hers. She's stolen their interlaced hands and rested them on her stomach. "The picnic?" She hates to give Soren credit, but she supposes it is due.

"The timing, actually. Why now, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I get why we haven't done this before—we've had a lot going on for a while and a first real date beyond our walks in the garden hadn't really crossed my mind, but..." He sighs and cuts off his own rambling and she giggles at the scrunched up look on his face. Callum tries again. "What made you think of it, I guess?"

"Excellent question, mage." It coaxes a smile out of him the way she hoped it would. Rayla hopes it'll stay even after she answers. "It was a little while ago in the library. You mentioned something about your time with Claudia at the Moon Nexus being your first date, and it... ended badly in a lot of different ways. I just wanted to make you happy and give you a sort of do-over, you know?"

When she looks at him, Callum's eyes are shining. His mouth is tugged up in a soft grin. "Oh," he says, the single syllable brimming with emotion. Good, _positive_ emotion.

She thinks of running through these forests on her way to the castle to kill his brother, and the times she's lied to him and he's forgiven her anyway, in the end, even when she really didn't deserve it. Rayla lifts his hand to her mouth and kisses the back of it. "Yeah, well, I would know all about do-overs, right? Thought it was only fair you got at least one."

His free hand finds the far side of her face, turning it towards his for a much deeper kiss. Rayla melts into it, their fingers shifting against each others, her own hand curling in his hair; neither of them are in any hurry to pull away. When they do, even he's a little breathless, which is saying something.

"I love you," he says and she knows it means _Thank you_ in equal measure.

Rayla smiles and rests her forehead against his, her hand lightly stroking his hair. _You're welcome_. "I love you too."

"And I can say, definitively, that this is the best first date ever," he continues, bringing back that sweetened confidence she loves. He sounds so very sure and happy with himself she can't help but be endeared. "And that you are the most amazing girlfriend ever."

She presses one more kiss to his mouth. "And you are the sweetest, dorkiest boyfriend ever," she smiles as she pulls away, sitting up. "Who I love very much." His fingers slip out of hers as he sits up too and she glances back over her shoulder. There's some food left over, although not much. A couple cookies, some squishy strawberries at the bottom of a bowl, half a sandwich, and a lone jelly tart. "Are you still hungry, or should we start packing up?"

"Maybe one more cookie," Callum considers and she smiles when he gobbles up the first half and then gets too full for the second. Her dumb, daft prince.

They start packing up, the sun significantly lower in the sky than when they first arrived, although Rayla thinks it can only be late afternoon, not close to evening. Why then, is the light fading so fast? The basket is sealed and back on her arm when she glances up and realizes that the sky is full of clouds, now, and more than that, they're _grey_.

They walk back to the castle hand in hand, trying to be a little faster than normal, but they're happy and full and Callum keeps making her laugh, and Rayla can't even be too bothered when the rain catches them halfway back. She might not like water, but rain is definitely better, of the smaller, less-bodied version of it.

Callum's eyes light up in the storm, rejuvenated with every strike of lightning, and Rayla can't help but feel proud even though connecting to an arcanum was very much his accomplishment and not hers. Still, it's a reminder of just how very far he's come—and they've come—since they met. It also doesn't keep him from slipping and sliding in the mud, or either of them laughing when she helps him up.

Their boots are caked in mud, clothes soaked by the time they make it to the castle.

Opeli seems disapproving of their appearance, muddy shoes squishing on the castle tile, but relieved by their arrival when they pass her in the hallway near the front doors. Rayla doesn't think Opeli could ever begrudge Callum something that makes him this happy; he's still giggling giddily as they drag themselves up the stairs and strip in the privacy of their room.

Even his scarf is draped over the back of one of their desk chairs. Callum gets the fire going with a _fulminus_ and has a servant bring up hot chocolate, and soon they're curled up in blankets and pajamas together in the big arm chair that can fit both of them. They each lean back against one armrest, her four toes touching his ankle under the blankets.

"Rain didn't dampen your spirits?" she grins cheekily, his hair still a little wet and extra messy from when he'd towelled it off.

Callum snorts at her pun. "And you say I'm bad." She raises her eyebrows when he only takes a sip of his drink, her own overloaded with marshmallows (they don't exist in Xadia, and are by far one of the best things humans have ever created). "And no, not at all. Everything is fun when it's with you."

"So what you're saying is," Rayla drawls, "is that I can plan a terrible date in the future, and it'll still be a win?"

"That, and your early successes can help make up for your later losses," he plays along and they both laugh. "And I think I'd like to plan our next date, thank you very much."

"Go ahead." She takes a hearty sip of her hot cocoa, popping a marshmallow into her mouth. "I could use a break from planning."

Callum shakes his head and smiles at her. "Just some garden walks for a little bit, then. I'll need some time to think. I dunno how I can outdo this."

Rayla returns his warm smile with one of her own and sets down her mug. She scoots closer, pulling him in by the hem of her pajamas. "I think I know how," she says, kissing him. "Just be you, and that's _more_ than enough."

His grin softens. "Yeah?"

"Mmhm. I just thought about you and planned our date around that. And you know _me_ better than anyone else, and you're naturally sweet and sentimental. You'll do great. And if for some reason some part of it goes wrong—you slip in mud again, or light a curtain on fire with your fulminus instead of a candle, you know what I'll do?"

"Laugh and call me an idiot?" he says like it's his favourite thing in the world. "And then kiss me?"

"Yes," she agrees, pressing another quick kiss to his mouth, "and give you as many do-overs as you need. That can sort of be _our thing,_ right?"

Callum wraps an arm around her when she tucks herself into his side, her head on his chest. He's even warmer than the fire. "Sounds perfect, love."


End file.
